Catching up with Orlando City ECNL goalkeeper Olivia Mickey after committing to UAB soccer
SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. — Seventeen-year-old Olivia Mickey has been playing soccer since she was five. Her first coach was her dad, Steve, who provided the foundation for her as a soccer player. She is a senior at Satellite Beach HS, currently plays for the Orlando City ECNL team, and has committed to play Division I soccer for the University of Alabama Birmingham next year.
Olivia’s biggest personal goal is “to be able to stay healthy and play all 4 years of college soccer while completing my degree.” She has been playing and practicing in Orlando over the past 7 years and spends a lot of time commuting 4-5 days a week. She does carpool with other teammates and has become really good at schedule rearranging. Her dedication to the sport and her team has made it so she has missed a lot of school activities over the years, but she feels it was worth it in the long run. “Since my time during season is so full of practice during the off season I like to catch up with friends, hang with family and relax,” she stated. “During my last break I got a job for some good experience and spending money.”
Olivia’s best advice she can give to athletes is to “Never let your teammates down. Despite the commute and the missed activities at home, I have never missed a game (unless I was sick).”
What Olivia loves about soccer the most is the people she meets along the way. “I have had some of the same teammates for 10 years,” commented Olivia. “We are a tight knit group and I believe we will be close the rest of our lives. Travel soccer has been a bonding experience and I love the off times at the hotels, too.”
A typical pregame ritual for Olivia is as she stated, “Nothing too strict – I can’t eat before a game – and we usually have a long drive, so I drink a smoothie, listen to music and nap on the way to the fields!”
Being a team member requires self-sacrifice and cooperation. “If we don’t work together towards a common goal, we all lose,” remarked Olivia. “We HAVE to be there for each other.” Her coach, Lloyd Yaxley, advised her to “Write out your goals and then work towards them” and to use her height to her advantage, which she has done. At a height of 5’10” she has become an integral part of the team as Goalkeeper. Coach Yaxley is also the coach for the Orlando Pride goalkeepers.
When it comes to mistakes on the field, Olivia commented, “In my position I tend to not dwell on any mistakes I make because it will just result in another. Once when I first started in goal, I picked up a pass back – not knowing the rule- but luckily ended up saving the resulting penalty kick.” It was one of those lesson learned moments we all have now and then.
Olivia remarked, I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to play with the coaches and the teammates I have had over the years – starting at Satellite Soccer with Coach McNatt and then traveling to Orlando to play club soccer. The states I have traveled to and the girls that I have met from other teams around the country have been terrific and I can’t wait for the next adventure…playing soccer in college with teammates from around the world.”
We wish Olivia good health to continue playing soccer and much success in her future endeavors at the University of Alabama Birmingham next year. GO BLAZERS!
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